All posts tagged The Dramaturg

The third episode of the new season of “Smash,” following a two-hour Season 2 premiere two weeks ago, deals with the nuts and bolts of putting on a Broadway show, from auditioning to rewriting to taking meetings.

Eileen Rand (Anjelica Huston), producer of “Bombshell,” a new musical about Marilyn Monroe, meets with the writing team and orders them to work with a dramaturg, or “book doctor,” because she believes the script is the show’s weak spot.

There are sparks–not the good kind–between lyricist and musical book writer Julia Houston (Debra Messing) and the dramaturg, played by Daniel Sunjata, as she challenges him to name one good thing about her script and he responds that Marilyn is a good subject for a musical. Read More »

Two weeks ago, actress and singer Patti LuPone grabbed a cell phone out of the hand of an audience member who was texting during a performance of her current play, "Shows for Days." The bold move led to an outpouring of support from fans fed up with glowing screens. Ms. LuPone gives us her five rules of theater etiquette.